Toy gun.



No. 754,583. 1 PATENTED MAR. 15, 1904. J. B. MASON.

TOY GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented March 15, 1904.

JOHN B. MASON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOY GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,583, dat d Ma h 15, 1904.

Application filed June 8, 1903. Serial No. 160,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. MAsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toy Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My obj eet is to provide a toy for children in the form of a gun of improved construction made in imitation of regular guns and adapted to explode a paper percussion-cap or other suitable fulminate to make a loud report and at the same time, if desired, project a light missile, all without danger of any injury resulting from the explosion or from the flying missile.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken longitudinal section through the breech portion of the toy gun, showing the parts closed; Fig. 2, a similar view with the parts opened for loading, and Fig. 3 a View of the toy gun folded for shipment.

The barrel a has a breech-casing b, and the stock 0 is secured to a breech-housing (Z, the breech-casing and breech-housing being pivotally secured together by means of a pin 6, which also carries the trigger f. In the breech of the barrel is a plug g, presenting a ballholding pocket h to receive a rubber or similar ball or missile a, which may be passed through a ball-insertion openingk in the barrel and pressed into place with the finger. In the plug is an explosion-chamber Z, a spider-shaped anvil m, and a recess 11 to receive a percussion-cap placed against the anvil. Fitting over the end of the plug 9 is a swinging breechblock 10, held normally closed, as shown in Fig. 1, by the spring 7 to form, with the anvil and recess a, a cap-compartment. Mounted in the breech-block is a plunger 8. The breech-housing (Z has a slot t in its upper side through which the end of the hammer 2) projects and which is preferably closed by a backward-projecting part 10 of the hammer when in theposition shown in Fig. 1. The breech-housing carries a projecting cover a; for the opening it". The spring y is coiled at its center about a pin y and bears against the hammer and trigger to operate both as a trigger-spring and a hammer-spring, thus forming a Very simple construction. The hammer Q) has an elongated slot 2), extending at approximately the relative angle shown, at which it is pivoted upon a pin 0 As the gun is opened to the position shown in Fig. 2 the end of the slot z engages the hammer and cooks it. The breechblock 10 may then be swung to the position shown in Fig. 2 to permit a paper percussioncap or the like to be placed in the recess a against the anvil m. A rubber ball or the like '5 may then be placed in the pocket it, and when the parts are closed the gun is ready for firing. Release of the hammer from the trigger causes the hammer to strike the plunger .9 and drive it against the percussion-cap with force sufficient to explode the cap against the anvil m with a loud report. gas expands in the explosion-chamber Z and sends the ball 2' out of the barrel with sufiicient force to drive it with reasonable accuracy some distance beyond the muzzle of the barrel. I I

It will be seen that at the time of the explosion of the cap the chamber a is tightly closed by the breech-block p. Thus no part of the cap can be driven in the backward or lateral directions from the gun. The closing of the slot 25 by the part w of the hammer operates as an additional safeguard against danger of any particles of the exploded cap striking the eye of the child firing the gun. The paper percussion-caps adapted for use in a toy gun do not generate force suificient to expel a heavy missile, which makes it necessary to employ a ball 2' so light in weight that it can work no injury upon anything that it strikes.

It is necessary that when the gun is closed for firing the parts be held closed with desired rigidity. To accomplish this, projecting surfaces a and sockets 5 are provided at the edges of the breech-casing Z), and slightly-inwardprojecting bosses 6 are provided on the breechhousing. These bosses spring into the sockets 5 to hold the parts closed, but permit opening of the gun with reasonably slight efi'ort. When the gun is opened to the loading position, (shown in Fig. 2,) the spring y tends to prevent any further backward movement of the hammer. If sufiicient force, however, is

The resultant applied, the end of the slot twill pass over the hammer and permit the parts to be swung to the folded position. (Shown in Fig. 3.) In the return of the parts from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the closed position the breechhousing forward of the slot 26 engages the top of the hammer and presses it down, causing it to move on the pin Q22 against the resistance of the spring 1 whereby the housing at the edge of the slot 2? may pass readily over the hammer.

While it is preferred to construct the toy gun throughout as shown and described, it may obviously be modified in minor details without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What Iclaim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In atoy gun, the combination of a barrel, an anvil in the barrel-breech, a movable breechblock closing against the end of the barrelbrecch to form therewith a cap-compartment,

a cap-exploding plunger in the breech-block,

and means at the breech for actuating the plunger to explode the cap.

2. In a toy gun, the combination of a barrel, an anvil in the barrel-breech, a pivotal backward-swinging breech-block closingagainst the end of the barrel-breech to form therewith a cap-compartment, a cap exploding plunger in the breech-block, and means at the breech for actuating the plunger to explode the cap.

3. In a toy gun, the combination of abarrel, an anvil in the barrel-breech, a pivotal backward-swinging spring closed breech block closing against the end of the barrel-breech to form therewith a cap-compartment, a cap-exploding plunger in the breech -block, and means at the breech for actuating the plunger to explode the cap.

4C. In a toy gun, the combination witha pivotally connected breech casing and breechhousing, of a spring-pressed hammer slidably pivoted in the breech-casing, the breech-housing having a slot through which the end of the hammer projects when the gun is closed, the hammer being movable on its pivot under pressure of the housingv in closing, substantially as described.

JOHN B. MASON. In presence of- W. B. DAVIES, WALTER N. W INBERG. 

